Photos of a US nurse before and after she started working on the COVID-19 frontline have gathered almost one million likes on Twitter, sparking conversation over the gruelling toll the pandemic has had on healthcare professionals.
Kathryn, a 28-year-old ICU nurse from Tennessee, shared the side-by-side images of herself at her nursing graduation in May and after a recent night shift.
In her graduation picture Kathryn is fresh-faced, smiling, relaxed, and youthful, a stark contrast to her post-night shift snap where PPE has formed deep indents into her skin, her smile is wiped, and her eyes dull and tired.
Kathryn based her caption off the 'how it started versus how it's going' meme, the post going viral with over 70,000 retweets and more than 900,000 likes.
Kathryn said in a Tweet she loved being a nurse but "didn't exactly expect to become a new nurse in the middle of a highly politicised pandemic".
"But life comes at you fast," she added, "even in a pandemic there's nothing else I want to do. Caring for the sickest of sick is an honour and I treasure my patients."
She went on to explain the awful reality healthcare professionals in the US face daily, watching people "die the same way time after time", and how she wishes the virus wasn't so politicised.
"It's devastating to watch people die when those deaths were avoidable. It's devastating that basic common sense and decency has been politicised."
She said COVID-19 was a "brutal disease" in which she "wouldn't wish the worst of it" on her "worst enemy", alongside a plea to Americans: "Please understand that you aren't just protecting yourself, you are protecting the people around you."
Her post has influenced a wave of other ICU nurses to post their 'how it started versus how it's going' photos.
Their worn-out, dented faces illustrating just how much of an impact a shift in a COVID-19 ward can have on healthcare workers.
According to CNN Kathryn has received a barrage of comments and harassment online accusing her of lying about her experiences which is why she doesn't want her last name shared with the media.
She told CNN that despite the negative comments she was "astounded, amazed and touched" by the level of positive support she had received.
Kathryn even received offers of money and free coffee to which she selflessly declined, instead asking people to donate to people who needed it via links she shared.
She said the entire year had been "surreal" and she couldn't believe it was actually happening
"I can't believe that so much is being asked of healthcare workers with so little resources. We are not superhuman, we can only do so much."
On Saturday the US hit 13 million COVID-19 cases, with a surge expected as families gather for Thanksgiving. The country has so far suffered 263,939 deaths from the virus.
